Discovery News

June 06, 2013

Mountain Men of WV Seek Mysterious Beasts of the Appalachian Wild in Destination America's New Series MOUNTAIN MONSTERS

(Silver Spring, Md.) Wolfman, Devil Dog, Grassman, Wampus Beast, Mothman, Lizard Demon – for generations, these mysterious Appalachian monsters have spawned countless sightings in the 1500-mile long mountain chain. With a distinctive landscape of dense woods, murky lakes, and hidden valleys stretching the length of the eastern U.S., the region is a hotbed for creatures both legendary and unidentified. Now in Destination America’s new series MOUNTAIN MONSTERS, a band of hardcore hunters and trappers native to West Virginia and known as The Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (AIMS) is at the ready to identify and snare these shadowy figures in the hope of helping local mountain communities rest more easily when night falls and nature comes out to play. Having spent a lifetime with the mountain wilderness as their home, hobby, and hunting ground, the AIMS and its founder John “Trapper” Tice expertly tap into their backwoods ingenuity using both traditional techniques and modern technology to capture the supernatural beast. The six-episode first season of MOUNTAIN MONSTERS premieres Saturday, June 22 at 10 PM E/P.

“When folklore bites back, it leaves a trail of proof only detectable by the expert mountain men of AIMS,” said Marc Etkind, general manager of Destination America. "As native sons of West Virginia who have spent their entire lives hunting and trapping in the Appalachian wilderness, no one is better prepared to navigate the woods or track these quintessential American monsters than Trapper and his team."

The first three episodes are:

The Kentucky Wolfman premieres Saturday, June 22 at 10 PM E/PFollowing eyewitness leads and a trail of fresh physical evidence, the West Virginia-based AIMS team embarks on a quest to capture the elusive Kentucky Wolfman. This 500-lb, 7-foot-tall wolf monster has been terrifying residents in Wolfe County and locals are demanding answers. Their mission is to interview witnesses, investigate scenes of the encounter, collect solid evidence of the Wolfman’s existence, and hopefully walk away with the beast itself. AIMS goes in hot pursuit of the Wolfman and puts their backwoods knowledge to use as they build a customized trap large enough and strong enough to finally capture this beast before it depletes its food source and flees to terrorize a new area.

The Ohio Grassman premieres Saturday, June 29 at 10 PM E/PDiscovering an eyewitness video of the Ohio Grassman, the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (AIMS) travel to Southeastern Ohio to hunt down this 1,000 pound, 8-foot tall cousin of the legendary Sasquatch. Dubbed the Grassman because its fur resembles the color and texture of grass, this creature’s size and aggressive nature makes it a threat to any human it encounters. The AIMS crew investigates footprints and nests that appear to be Grassman evidence, then build a camouflaged pit trap to capture this enormous beast. The mountain investigators’ goal is to make sure the Grassman does not terrorize Ohio locals and prove the legendary creature’s existence.

Devil Dog premieres Saturday, July 6 at 10 PM E/PThere is a new apex predator in Logan County, West Virginia, wreaking havoc on the coyote population, the former top of the food chain. While local trappers are perplexed, AIMS has its own theory and suspects the legendary Devil Dog is to blame, sucking the blood and life from the coyotes. From eyewitness videos and pictures, the danger becomes even more apparent when they realize there is not one, but a pack of Devil Dogs on the loose and looking for blood. Something must stop this predatory pack before humans become their next target.

Other monsters featured include Wampus Beast, Mothman, and Lizard Demon.

MOUNTAIN MONSTERS is produced by American Chainsaws for Destination America. For American Chainsaws, Colt Straub, Duke Straub, Royal Malloy, Russell Geyser and Jay Bluemke are executive producers. For Destination America, Caroline Perez is executive producer, Marc Etkind is general manager. Henry Schleiff is group president of Investigation Discovery, Destination America, and Military Channel.

About Destination AmericaDestination America is the only network to celebrate the people, places, and stories of the United States. The inclusive network targeting Adults 25-54 is available in 60 million homes, emblazoning television screens with the grit and tenacity, honesty and work ethic, humor and adventurousness that characterize our nation. Destination America features travel, food, adventure, home, and natural history, with original series like BBQ Pitmasters, A Haunting, Epic, and Buying Alaska. For more information, please visit DestinationAmerica.com, facebook.com/DestinationAmerica, or twitter.com/DestAmerica. Destination America is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 218 countries and territories.